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Guildford Castle

Excavation by R J Poulton for SyAS, SCAU and Guildford Borough Council in Castle Cliffe Gardens located a large deep ditch which had probably been largely infilled by the early 13th century. It is postulated that it was the original outer bailey ditch, filled in when the Castle was extended further south to the Quarry Street line in the 13th century, for the Royal Palace.

Guildford Castle

Work continued on the research/training excavation by R J Poulton for SCAU, SyAS, the Society of Antiquaries and others. The excavation of a section of the bailey ditch was completed. A well-preserved tile kiln was uncovered, its last firing archaeomagnetically dated to AD 1220-1270 at the 95% confidence level. Presumably the tiles produced were used in roofing the earliest palace buildings. (262; 266; see Guildford Castle monograph)

Hindhead Commons

Report by S P Dyer of initial results of historic landscape survey carried out for SCC, SyAS and the National Trust. The survey had located the boundary bank between Godalming and Farnham hundreds, medieval and Tudor field systems and related building platforms, various holloways and other tracks, property boundaries and woodland banks, saw pits and charcoal burning hearths and earthworks attributed to the Canadian Army in the Second World War.

Castle Hill, Guildford

Research/training excavation continued, directed by Rob Poulton of SCAU, for SCC, SyAS, the Society of Antiquaries and others. The area outside the outer bailey ditch as found to have been extensively quarried for chalk. The resulting pits had subsequently been infilled and palace buildings constructed there c1200. Interesting finds included pieces of a medieval glass urinal from a garderobe shaft. (271) The 1993 season of excavation focused on the supposed line of the outer bailey ditch, but no trace of the feature was found, presumably because the ditch ran further to the east.

Guildford Castle

Fifth and final season of excavation by Rob Poulton of SCAU for SCC, SyAS and others. A section across the early bailey ditch confirmed that it was infilled in the late 12th century; 13th century walls were found built over the northern edge of the ditch. The building known as Lord Edward’s Chamber (built in 1246) was examined and the finely moulded jambs of a doorway uncovered. The Chamber was found to be earlier in date than the adjoining building, which cannot, therefore, be the Almonry.
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